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'book club'-like questions for betas?

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ardenbird

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Has anyone ever done something like provide a list of 'book club' like questions for their betas to answer? I mean, things like, "When did you first suspect X was in love with Y? What led you to believe this?" and other stuff...

I'm planning to beta my novel with some writer-friends, who I'm pretty confident will provide good, useful critiques. But I'm also planning to beta with some reader-friends, and I'd like to make sure I get a little more information than "It was a fun read" or something. I thought a list of questions to answer after finishing the novel would be good -- and perhaps even good for the writer-betas, who might otherwise not comment on larger plot points.

Does this seem like a good idea?
 

Raula

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I wouldn't mind answering these type of questions, though I'm often too shy to ask them. It's always good to see whether your particular intentions came across in the right way, and you may get half a dozen people commenting on the same issues if you are not careful. However, I wouldn't provide too many questions so as not to put your beta reader off, nor would I close off the opportunity for a beta to comment on something that isn't on the list of questions.
 

backslashbaby

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I could see it :) Those are the sorts of questions I ask my two close betas, but that arrangement just worked out that way. Maybe let the folks beta normally first and then see who is up for follow-up questions after that.
 

DeleyanLee

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Personally, I've tried to save those kinds of questions for my non-writerly betas until AFTER they've come back with "I enjoyed it" or "I read it, but I don't know what to say about it."

Experience has told me that if you hand out questionaires like that when you give them the book, they only LOOK for those bits and that limits the feedback you get.
 

ardenbird

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Thanks -- I think I'll ask for feedback, and then when they give it to me, ask if they'd be willing to answer a few more questions. I couldn't give them the questions with the manuscript -- then the answer of "When did you notice X was in love with Y" would be when they read the questions!
 
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